DOYIN OKUPE AND HIS ANTICS

The very first time I listened to Nkoyo Toyo on the floor of the National Assembly, the first impression I got registered in my memory because I was marveled by the level of her accuracy, logical consistency and intellectual exposure. I had to sail into her profile and I have come to revere her as one of those very few honorable members of the House of Representatives marked with clarity and distinction. As a philosopher, I always probe into a person’s profile to learn or unlearn some qualities based on either positive or negative impressions.

The first time I heard Doyin Okupe was on an interview on Aljazeera TV. Having been accused by a Sahara reporter of “doing deals with the military leaders and selling away Nigeria…” Okupe anxiously asked the reporter to “shut up”. Also, his seemingly unprofessional response to the anchors of Sunrise Daily is quite resounding. His approach to issues immediately captured the attention of many around the world and the rest of the story is on Google. But I want to draw our attention to some issues of importance:

1)      Okupe denied the allegation that he had been arraigned before the EFCC for some corrupt dealings shrouded in secrecy.

2)      He assured Nigerians never to be in despair since the Nigerian government had every situation under control.

3)      He referred to the reporter from Sahara as a liar and one that has no reputation

4)      On 3^rd November, 2013, he gave a wrong figure of the number of ATC that were fired in 1981 to be 1435 persons as against 11345 persons.

5)      That the government has granted the demands of ASUU more than ASUU desired.

6)      Above all, do not forget that President Obasanjo was reported to have physically beaten up Doyin Okupe on account of his dishonesty.

7)      Doyin Okupe said that government has opened an account with the CBN and ‘set aside’ the sum of 200million naira as ASUU requested. (Recall that he used the words ‘set aside’ and ‘paid’ interchangeably.)

If you have gone through the tertiary system of education or still an undergraduate student, then you probably should have done some GST in philosophy and logic. If numbers 1 to 6 is false, then number 7 is probably false too. So why should Okupe cajole Nigerians into believing that every demand has been met. With all these misgivings, it beats the imagination of every average mind who is impatient with incoherency why Okupe should persistently be a mouth-piece in government at this point of our political history. Having understood the antics of government and the antecedents of some government representatives, would you not expect members of ASUU to reason as intellectuals?

In 1981, when the American president fired some ATC, recall that he offered them an 11% increase in their wages having seen the demanding nature of their job. The ATC in turn rejected the offer because they wanted 100% increase. There was no prior written agreement between the government and the ATC, even though he evaded telling us the security implications it had for the American government. In the case of ASUU, there is a written agreement between the government and ASUU and a memorandum of understanding. The weak precedent or foundation upon which Okupe based his argument is feverish to a sound mind. While there is certainty that the government and ASUU are drawing closer to a middle course, the government in turn should strive to be a friend of democracy.